1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to tool boxes and more particularly to hinged tool boxes for tools, hardware, and the like.
2. Background Art
Tool boxes for storage of tools, hardware, and the like have been known. Tool boxes are generally of substantially rectangular construction and have a lower container for storage of the tools, an upper tray for storage of small parts, a cover with a latch to fasten the cover to the lower container, and a handle for carrying the tool box during transport. Such tool boxes allow for storage of tools in the lower container, small parts in the upper tray, and hardware in either or both the lower container and the upper tray. The tools, the hardware, and the small parts are generally placed one on top of the other, resulting in certain items being hidden from view and requiring digging to obtain the desired items of interest. As such, it is often difficult to find and retrieve the desired items of interest quickly, making search and retrieval of the tools, the hardware, and the small parts often a time consuming and frustrating task. There is thus a need for a tool box that allows for display, access, and retrieval of tools, hardware, parts, and the like, in a quick, convenient, and efficient manner. Tools should be capable of being displayed and distinguished one from the other and being accessed, removed, and stored quickly, and easily.
Different tool boxes have heretofore been known. However, none of the tool boxes adequately satisfies these aforementioned needs.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,550,828 (Baldwin et al.) discloses a portable tool box having an open-top, box-like housing containing removable slats with apertures for holding tools in an upright position and a drawer slidably engaged within a drawer aperture in one wall of the housing. The drawer outer wall has an outwardly projecting shelf and a lip extending above the shelf. A cover disposed over the housing has an end wall which covers the lip for retaining the drawer in the housing. The shelf extends around the perimeter of the housing for supporting a bottom edge of one or more of the walls of the cover. PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,305 (Silvon et al.) discloses a tool box with a sliding tool storage pallet, which may be moved manually or mechanically when opening a lid to expose tools clipped to the pallet and contents of the tool box. The tool box has a peg board pallet with handles for manually moving the pallet into an upright inclined position after the lid has been opened, which may also be mechanically linked to the lid, in another embodiment, such that as the lid is opened, the pallet slides form a closed position to the upright position. Tools may be stored on the pallet by the use of known clips. PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,158 (Perkins) discloses a tool box for small hand tools and associated items, which opens from the front and top and has a shelf having holes for holding certain tools upright. The tool box has a front cover, which is hingedly connected at a bottom edge to a front plate and has a strip magnet on an inside surface for mounting metal tools, a storage compartment, and a top cover, which is hingedly connected at a back edge to the back wall of the tool box. PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,194 (Decarie) discloses a socket wrench tool box having a case and a lid to be mounted over the case for individually retaining sockets for a socket wrench. The case has two opposite side walls and a bottom wall, with two spaced parallel rotatable shafts carried by the side walls spaced over the bottom wall. Each shaft has two rows of radial stems, which are adapted to be releasably engaged by a plurality of similar yet differently dimensioned sockets form a socket wrench. PA1 Netherlands Patent No. NL 7807392 (Schucom B.V.) discloses a tool box having a box shaped base portion with bottom walls and upright tapered extended walls perpendicular to the bottom walls. The tool box has two identical lids hinged to the bottom walls having carrying handles, for carrying the tool box when the lids are shut against the upright tapered walls. The upright tapered walls have fixing devices for one or more removable tool mountings. PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,512,165 (Liu) discloses a personal tool box having a base frame with a clip at a back side of the base frame for hanging the tool box on a user's belt and vertically aligned tool rest holes for resting a hand tool, two pivots vertically connected to the base frame in parallel, pairs of bit carriages, socket carriages, storage cases, respectively turned about the pivots at different elevations for holding tool bits, sockets, and accessories. PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,158 (Oltman et al.) discloses a removable tool tray assembly for use in a tool chest, including a tray member, a rotatable, lockable handle attached to the tray member, and a storage box adapted to rest in the tray member.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a tool box that allows for display, access, and retrieval of tools, hardware, parts, and the like, in a quick, convenient, and efficient manner. Tools should be capable of being displayed and distinguished one from the other and being accessed, removed, and stored quickly, and easily. The tool box should be durable, light weight, inexpensive, safe to use, attractive, sturdy, and of simple construction.